For Better or Worse
by vampyremiyu
Summary: A follow up to my story, "Never to Say Goodbye." Kaoru has the life he always wanted. So where did it go horribly wrong? Kaoru/Haruhi centric.


FOR BETTER OR WORSE  
An Ouran High School Host Club Challenge Fanfic

Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess

CHALLENGE: Another two-fer - Scent tied to memory and What is the breaking point? Tell the story that brought a character the edge.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A follow up to my story, _Never to Say Goodbye_. You may want to read it before reading this one, but it's not really necessary. Non-lemon. Possible OOC-ness. A Standard Disclaimer follows the story.

--

"We need the models to line up now."

"Five minutes, everyone!"

"Did you find that purse? She gets it up there. And why is her hair all straggly? I asked for slick looks. SLICK!"

"We'll fix it."

"Right away!"

Kaoru Hitachiin sighed, trying to keep himself from strangling his hair and make up artists. His instructions for the models had been clear. He paced from one model to the other, double checking their appearance before allowing them to line up for the show.

"Go. Go. Go!" He hurries along three models before coming to the last one. Her appearance was spot on, but his nose caught of whiff of her perfume. He paused, recognizing the scent. He usually smelled it every morning before going to work. It was a scent he missed. One he craved.

"Sir?"

"Is everything okay?"

Kaoru waved the girl away. He watched her run away and get in line with the other models. Inhaling deeply, he savored the scent she left behind.

The same scent as his wife. It was her favorite perfume, and only wore it when they would go out to dinner, or spend time together. He loved it on her. Loved that it made her feel more wanted and beautiful.

'Haruhi.'

But right now, he hated that it made him feel like a jackass.

They didn't part on good terms. In fact, he had been so angry they didn't even sleep together the night before he left for Milan. He sighed to himself. Now it felt like the worst possible of things, to be angry with the woman he loved more than life itself. But at the time he wanted to forget everything. He didn't want to admit that his marriage was in trouble. That his life was in trouble.

The trouble didn't begin with his marriage, though. It began back in high school. Senior year. The year he confessed his feelings to Haruhi  
Fujioka. But that wasn't the main issue.

His brother had also confessed, albeit somewhat sloppily. And he beat him to it. The bastard had confessed first.

"How unromantic, Hikaru."

"What of it, Kaoru? All of us can't be stuck on a high horse all the time."

"I am not stuck!"

"And I'm not unromantic!"

And so began the war. Classmates referred to it as the "Great Twin Catastrophe". It was just that, a disaster. They tossed their feelings at Haruhi and each other. Usually causing more harm than good.

"You both need to slow down."

"Yes, before Haruhi decides to leave you both."

"She wouldn't do that! Would she?"

They tried toning it down. Luckily it was studying for the university entrance exams that allowed things to mellow. The situation seemed much less tense, their constant bickering now a dull roar. The boys were even enjoying their time with Haruhi more.

"Will you still see me, Haruhi?"

"And me?"

But they still couldn't get her to choose between them.

"We can get together whenever you want," she told them. "Just give me a call. No slacking in your studies either."

"Of course not!" "How absurd!"

During college, she dated them both. One night here. One weekend there. It was never a dull moment for any of them. She received many phone calls, making her roommate jealous. And the presents! It was the only thing that really kept her roommate from complaining since she got to share most -- if not all -- of the clothing and candy the twins would send.

"You really need to play this up more, Haru."

"It's not a game, Isuzu."

The boys continued to compete, however. There were romantic dinners and walks around campus. Small trips to the mountains and beaches over breaks, and calm holidays spent in privacy and tranquility.

After two years, it seemed as if Haruhi had chosen without thinking. She spent more time with Hikaru, traveling to see him in various places. Her time with Kaoru always seemed too short. And his feelings were becoming strained. If she didn't love him, he just wanted to hear her say it. They were growing older, and he really feared growing apart from the woman he loved.

Things cooled off just before their last year. Kaoru was convinced Hikaru had him beat. Haruhi had been spending more time with him. The news of their engagement was expected just before graduation. Kaoru had resigned himself to defeat, though he would never admit it.

But out of nowhere, it seemed as if his twin had done him a favor.

RING! RING!

"Hello?"

"Kaoru?"

"Haruhi?" She sounded stressed. And he was certain she had been crying. "Are you all right?"

"I know it's late but... Can I see you?"

"Of course." Kaoru thought quickly. "Where are you? I'll come get you."

He was at her dorm in no time. And just as quickly, he swept her away. Away from the dorm. Away from the university. Away from her troubles.

And just before graduation, they announced their engagement.

Kaoru felt victorious on their wedding day, though now he wondered what exactly he had been victorious in. Hikaru had resigned himself to marrying a person of mother's choice. His brother may have lost Haruhi, but there were plenty of other women to suit his tastes. He was as pleasant as could be expected when he congratulated the happy newlyweds.

"Congrats, you two. Best of luck."

"Thanks, Hikaru."

"Make sure he takes good care of you, Haruhi."

"I will, brother. Don't you worry."

"See you around."

"See you."

And as their war had ended, so had their brotherhood.

But Kaoru hardly had any time to dwell on his failed relationship with his twin. He was immediately assigned a position within in his mother's company. He had less than three months to come up with a visual line for her winter collection as we'll as seeing Haruhi off to law school. He barely had time to breathe between each task as he dove right into the work.

With Haruhi away at law school, it seemed easy enough to distribute his time. But once she was finished and working, it became more difficult. Suddenly they weren't the people they used to be. They were adults with separate lives. Neither understood the other, although Haruhi made the most attempts. She knew his work was important to him.

He simply couldn't return the favor.

"I thought we agreed on this."

"Did we?

"Kaoru..."

"Can we talk about this later? I have a meeting to get to."

And that's when their marriage started going downhill. Although, in retrospect, it was probably failing from the beginning. But now, as they both became established professionals, their relationship was strained. Their schedules never matched up and time alone was often pushed aside in favor of working.

Then there was the fall out in public. Kaoru thought of the scandal and cringed. It was several weeks ago. He'd left angry because of it, throwing himself into the latest show full force. It had been a great distraction, he thought. But he was running out of distractions now, the show going on around at that very moment. Something had to be done.

"I can't believe you just said that!"

"Not so loud." Haruhi had looked around, embarrassed. "It was just a thought."

"Just a thought?!"

"Kaoru, the camera..."

If he'd stopped to think about it, there was nothing to be angry about. She had spoken only the truth. He was the one that blew it out of proportion. Sadly, he realized he was really a drama queen. A child really. And he didn't like it one bit.

But then, when had he ever stopped to think about it? He could feel himself teetering on the edge of madness with no idea of how to deal with his life.  
It had all happened so fast. He'd lost sight of himself. Who he was and who he wanted to be. In seconds he could see his life flash before his eyes. It was neither glamorous nor elegant. Not the life he had wanted. Nor the marriage he had craved.

What had he done?

'Nothing,' his mind answered. 'You've done nothing but perpetuate your own misery.'

'And Haruhi's,' he thought miserably. The thought kneed him in the gut and whacked him upside the head. He loved her. He really did. He just...didn't show it like he should. It came out all wrong all this time. 'What do I do now?'

He closed his eyes. Against the pain in his gut. Against the emotions that threatened to tear him apart on the inside. Against the tears that wanted to fall.

"What do I do," he muttered aloud.

"Kaoru?"

He opened his eyes slowly. He had to look as miserable as he felt, judging from the stage hand's questioning look. Sighing he asked, "What is it?"

"You left your cell phone in one of the dressing rooms, sir."

"Oh." Kaoru took the cellular from the young man and nodded. "Thank you."

"Closing call is in five minutes," he said before turning and running away.

That's when it dawned on Kaoru. It had to be a sign. He stared at the tiny electrical object in his hands. There was one missed call. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw who it was from.

Without thinking, his fingers started dialing the familiar phone number. He placed the phone to his ear and awaited a response.

"Hello?"

"Haruhi?"

A pause. "Kaoru...?"

"I'm sorry to be calling so late." I just wanted to hear your voice, he thought as tears began to fall.

"It's nearly three in the morning. I have litigations later today," she replied.

"It'll only take a few minutes, I promise."

"Is everything all right?"

"No, it's not."

"The runway didn't fall apart again, did it?"

He shook his head. "No, I meant us. We're not all right."

"No," she agreed. "We're not." There was a pause before she said, "I spoke with Hikaru tonight."

Kaoru's heart stopped. He wanted to ask what or why, but instead asked, "How's he doing?"

"Okay, I guess. He seemed kind of down." Another pause. "I miss him, Kaoru." His heart sank until she said, "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." His body slouched with relief. "I've been such a jerk."

"Unfortunately, I can't argue that," her smile was evident in her voice. "We really do need to talk at length about this."

"How about we start tomorrow night? Over dinner."

"You're coming home...?" She sounded surprised. He couldn't blame her. He never came home right after a show before. There was a moment of silence before Haruhi continued. "I'd love to."

"Is Kiki's okay?"

"Sounds good."

Kaoru ran his free hand through his hair. "And after your trial's over, we'll take a trip." He could see the stage hand motioning to him about closing call. He would be expected to walk down the runway himself soon. But he didn't want to let go. He wasn't ready. "Just the two of us. To see Misuzu and Mei at the pensione."

He could feel Haruhi's smile through the phone. "I'd like that. Very much."

"Thank you." Kaoru inhaled deeply, happy for the ease of conversation. It was so good to hear her voice. "I've gotta go. Last walk."

"I love you, Kaoru."

The sincerity of her words hit him in the heart. There was hope in her voice. Hope in his heart. "I don't doubt that anymore." He smiled to himself. "I love you, too."

"I know. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Good night."

He snapped his phone shut, just as the last of the models ran back stage. She looked totally flustered as she waved to him. It was time for the final walk of the show.

Kaoru stepped onto the platform with his head held higher than ever before. Things were certainly looking up. The show appeared to be a major success. And now his marriage had a chance. A better chance. Never again would he take things for granted. Never again would he go back on his promises. As the applause rose around him, he knew he was a changed man from this point on.

For better or worse.

--FIN--

DISCLAIMER:  
Ouran High School Host Club is a brilliant piece of work by creator Bisco Hatori. Originally published in 2003 by HAKUSENSHA, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, this masterpiece is being translated and published by VIZ Media for fans in America and Canada. I do not own a single piece of the characters used in this story. They were kidnapped and used here without permission.


End file.
